Dreams do come true! 

This week, Magda and Lindsay discuss their perfect weekend hanging out with incredible authors, creatives, and book people at this year’s Texas Book Festival. 

Listen in for recaps of their favorite sessions and book recs they came away with.  

*Also, please excuse Lindsay’s “potato quality” tech. Her camera was as tired as she was. 

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Intro & Outro Song: "Would it Kill You," courtesy of The Solder Thread

Books mentioned in the episode: 

“The Bodyguard “ by Katherine Center

“The Love Haters“ by Katherine Center

“Ruin “ by Gillian Eliza West

“Reckoning“ by Gillian Eliza West

“Until the Heart Stops“ by Gillian Eliza West

“The Shattering Peace“ by John Scalzi

“Murderbot“ by Martha Wells

“Queen Demon “ by Martha Wells

“When the Moon Hits Your Eye“ by John Scalzi

“Boom Town“ by Nic Stone

“Legendborn“ by Tracy Deonn

“They Both Die at the End“ by Adam Silvera

“The High Heaven“ by Joshua Wheeler

“Death of the Author“ by Nnedi Okorafor

“The Broken Blade Series“ by Mai Corland

In the pitch-black of night, a woman runs through the dry brush of the West Texas desert. She is out of breath. She is terrified. And she’s just turned to see the headlights of the car that’s chasing her. 

This is just the FIRST PAGE of this week’s book, “Innocence Road!” Join Magda and Lindsay as they chat with the author, Laura Griffin, about this heart-pounding mystery. 

Books mentioned in the episode:

“Death of the Author“ by Nnedi Okorafor

“The First to Die at the End“ by Adam Silvera

“The Survivor Wants to Die at the End“ by Adam Silvera

“Pet Sematary“ by Stephen King

“On Writing“ by Stephen King

“Sing the 50 United States“ by Dr. Seuss

“What Pet Should I Get?“ by Dr. Seuss

“Fonseca“ by Jessica Francis Kane

“A Guardian and a Thief“ by Megha Majumdar

“The Dream Hotel“ by Laila Lalami

“Anxious People“ by Fredrik Backman

“A Man Named Ove“ by Fredrik Backman 

“Bel Canto“ by Ann Patchet

“My Friends“ by Fredrik Backman 

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Intro & Outro Song: "Would it Kill You," courtesy of The Solder Thread

Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Everything is fine here. 

And that’s because Magda and Lindsay have your reading recipe for cozy season! Listen in as they recommend relaxing reads for every kind of person. 

Aching for a crime procedural? No need to investigate recs. Looking for a little love in your life? Snuggle up! Need the comfort of a classic? They’ve got your literary cardigan. 

This is a no-muss, no-fuss episode guide to relaxing. 

Books mentioned in the episode: 

“Five Broken Blades“ by Mai Corland

“Four Ruined Realms“ by Mai Corland

“Legendborn“ by Tracy Deonn

“They Both Die at the End“ by Adam Silvera

“The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year“ by Ally Carter

“Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies“ by Heather Fawcett

“Emily WIlde's Map of the Otherworlds“ by Heather Fawcett

“Emily WIlde's Compendium of Lost Tales“ by Heather Fawcett

“Station Eleven“ by Emily St. John Mandel

“House on the Cerulean Sea“ by TJ Klune

“Atmosphere“ by Taylor Jenkins Reid

“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo“ by Taylor Jenkins Reid

“Daisy Jones and the Six“ by Taylor Jenkins Reid

“Pride and Prejudice“ by Jane Austen

“The Work of Art“ by Mimi Matthews

“The Trouble with Love and Coaches“ by Harriet Ashford

“Little Women“ by Louisa May Alcott

“Frankenstein“ by Mary Shelley

“Great Expectations“ by Charles Dickens

“Percy Jackson and the Olympians“ by Rick Riordan

“The Book of Doors“ by Gareth Brown

 “The Glass Hotel“ by Emily St. John Mandel

“Exit Party“ by Emily St. John Mandel

“Last Night in Montreal“ by Emily St. John Mandel

“The Thrashers“ by Julie Soto

“Rose in Chains“ by Julie Soto

“Atmosphere“ by Taylor Jenkins Reid

“My Friends“ by Fredrik Backman

“The Land of Sweet Forever“ by Harper Lee

“The Secret of Secrets“ by Dan Brown

“King of Ashes“ by S.A. Crosby

“Alchemised“ by SenLinYu

“Katabasis“ by R.F. Kuang

“Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil“ by V.E. Schwab

“The Knight and the Moth“ by Rachel Gillig

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Intro & Outro Song: "Would it Kill You," courtesy of The Solder Thread

Are Magda and Lindsay dying of anticipation to talk about this book? Or are they feverish from the heat between its main characters? 

Find out this week as they discuss Ali Hazelwood’s “Mate.” 

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Books mentioned in the episode: 

“Five Broken Blades“ by Mai Corland

“Innocence Road“ by Laura Griffin

“The Games Gods Play“ by Abigail Owen

“Hot for Slayer“ by Ali Hazelwood

“Impossible Creatures“ by Katherine Rundell

“The Poison King“ by Katherine Rundell

“Twisted Love“ by Ana Huang

“Twisted Games“ by Ana Huang

“Twisted Hate“ by Ana Huang

“Twisted Lies“ by Ana Huang

“The King of Wrath“ by Ana Huang

“Oathbringer“ by Brandon Sanderson

“Mistborn“ by Brandon Sanderson

“The Strata Wars” by Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian

“A Darker Shade of Magic“ by V.E. Schwab

In celebration of Ali Hazelwood's sequel to this wonderful tale of hot werewolves and vampires, "Mate", we are re-releasing our "Bride" episode, so you can get a quick refresher. 

Tune in next week for our brand-new episode covering "Mate!”

...Literally an hour of Magda and Lindsay gushing about their love of Ali Hazelwood's "Bride." Before diving into the world of Misery Lark and friends, Magda discusses her newfound obsession with tv procedurals, and Lindsay reluctantly admits she may or may not be becoming a full-fledged romance reader...

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Intro & Outro Song: "Would it Kill You," courtesy of The Solder Thread

Get in losers, we’re going to hell. 

This week Magda and Lindsay descend into R.F. Kuang’s journey through the underworld in a discussion all about Katabasis. 

*Note: This episode contains spoilers for the book. 

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Books mentioned in the episode: 

“Katabasis“ by R.F. Kuang

“Automatic Noodle“ by Annalee Newitz

“Bunny“ by Mona Awad

“We Love You, Bunny“ by Mona Awad

“Thank You For Listening“ by Julia Whelan

“Yellowface “ by R.F. Kuang

“Book Lovers“ by Emily Henry

“Beach Read“ by Emily Henry

Intro & Outro Song: "Would it Kill You," courtesy of The Solder Thread

The trouble with recording a podcast is that sometimes you just need more friends to chime in on the conversation. Which is exactly why this week, Magda and Lindsay built their own Team Trouble to discuss Harriet Ashford’s wonderful rom-com “The Trouble with Love and Coaches.”

Listen to this LIVE book club at Books by the Bay as they chat all about the book with Harriet herself and the AMAZING voice narrators for the upcoming audiobook, Marie Mitchell and Gabriel Michael. 

See what our guests are up to below!

Harriet Ashford

Marie Mitchell

Gabriel Michael

Books by the Bay

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Books mentioned in the episode:

“The Trouble with Love and Coaches“ by Harriet Ashford

“The Butcher“ by Jennifer Hillier

“A Flair for Trouble“ by Kristen Bahls

“Lord of the Rings“ by  J.R.R. Tolkien

“The Compound“ by Aisling Rawle

“Project Hail Mary“ by Andy Weir

“The Expanse“ by James S.A. Corey

“Fourth Wing“ by Rebecca Yarros

“Great Expectations“ by Charles Dickens

“Hamlet“ by William Shakespeare

Intro & Outro Song: "Would it Kill You," courtesy of The Solder Thread

This week, Magda and Lindsay have the absolute pleasure of talking to Ali Gordon about her debut novel, “We Have Reached the End of Our Show.”

Part road trip story, part sci-fi story, part coming-of-age story, and most importantly, a love story, this book had their hearts exploding. 

You can find out more about Ali and find where to order her book on her website https://www.whatdoesaligordondo.com, as well as on her Instagram @msalicenutting. 

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Books mentioned in the episode:

“The Hounding“ by Xenobe Purvis

“Nightbitch“ by Rachel Yoder

“Bull Moon Rising“ by Ruby Dixon

“Jane Eyre“ by Charlotte Brontë

“Katabasis“ by R.F. Kuang

“1984“ by George Orwell

“Rememberings“ by Sinead O’Connor

“Foundation“ by Isaac Asimov

“Starship Troopers“ by Robert A. Heinlein

“Famous“ by Blake Crouch

“Dark Matter“ by Blake Crouch

“What Dan Read” at the Columbus Metropolitan Library

Intro & Outro Song: "Would it Kill You," courtesy of The Solder Thread

Magda and Lindsay are joined this week by author Anna Binder Reardon to discuss her debut novel, Wethersfield Road. 

This book is the story of Amelia Glickman, a person who seems, on paper, to live a dream life. However, beneath her shiny surface is a legacy of traumas that has led Amelia to  a relationship with addiction. Love addiction. Drug addiction. Alcohol addiction. Food issues. After an accident during a riding competition injures Amelia’s horse, she begins to question her current path. The novel follows her evolution from a young woman to a sober adult.  

Listen in as they discuss the story and interview Anna all about her writing process.  

You can find out more about Anna and pre-order her book on her website https://www.anna-writes.com, as well as on her Instagram @millenialauthoranna. 

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Books mentioned in the episode:

“Katabasis“ by R.F. Kuang

“The Bell Witches“ by Lindsey Kelk

“Charlotte’s Web“ by E.B. White

“Catcher in the Rye“ by J.D. Salinger

“Red, White, and Royal Blue“ by Casey McQuiston

“Dry “ by Augusten Burroughs

“Alchemised“ by SenLinYu 

“Shot Ready“ by Steph Curry

“The Ending Writes Itself“ by Evelyn Clark

“After the End: A Dystopian Romance Collection“ by Various

Intro & Outro Song: "Would it Kill You," courtesy of The Solder Thread

Reporting live from Washington D.C., Magda and Lindsay literally traveled halfway across the country to our nation's capital to soak in all the beauty at the 2025 National Book Festival. 

Listen in as they walk through their favorite panels, from V.E. Schwab and Nnedi Okorafor to their gentle stalking of Tracy Deonn and a beautiful surprise YA panel with Erin Estrada Kelly and Kwame Mbalia. 

Disclaimer: This episode was taped after 13 hours of walking with many pounds of books strapped to them, and thus the hosts of this podcast cannot be held responsible for any unhinged takes provided during the span of this recording. 

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Intro & Outro Song: "Would it Kill You," courtesy of The Solder Thread

Books mentioned in the episode: 

“A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping“ by Sangu Mandanna

“The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches“ by Sangu Mandanna

“Well, Actually“ by Mazey Eddings

“Late Bloomer“ by Mazey Eddings

“Death of the Author“ by Nnedi Okorafor

“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue“ by V.E. Schwab

“Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil“ by V.E. Schwab

“The God of the Woods“ by Liz Moore

“All the Colors of the Dark“ by Chris Whitaker

“On Again, Awkward Again“ by Erin Entrada Kelly and Kwame Mbalia

“Oathbound“ by Tracy Deonn

“Legendborn“ by Tracy Deonn